Learn about shorebirds on Audubon's weekly walks

Monday

Jun 24, 2013 at 12:11 PM

The nesting shorebirds on the south end of Wrightsville Beach cluttered the cloudy sky early Friday morning

By Emily EvansEmily.Evans@StarNewsOnline.com

The nesting shorebirds on the south end of Wrightsville Beach cluttered the cloudy sky early Friday morning as Marlene Eader led a group of interested bird lovers along the waters edge, stopping occasionally to show various chicks running through the dunes."They are most active early in the morning and at sunset," said the volunteer coordinator for Audobon North Carolina.The tour is part of Audobon's efforts to educate the public on the birds that make Wrightsville Beach their home during the summer months.Each year, starting in April, various species of birds travel from Central and South America to Wrightsville Beach to rest and nest. In late August, the birds will leave the habitat and travel to different locations.The south end is home to five species of birds this season, according to Lindsay Addison, a coastal biologist with Audubon. Least terns make up the majority of the shorebird population with 235 pairs. The rest of the colony is made up of black skimmers, American oystercatchers, common terns and willets.Walker Golder, Audubon's deputy director, said the conditions and environment at the south end of Wrightsville Beach are essential to the survival of the birds, which are important to the biodiversity of North Carolina."It doesn't take but just one visit down there to see that the habitat is extremely important to the birds," he said. "These birds need the habitat to nest and nurse their young."Addison said this year has been very successful so far, but the population still cannot exceed the major influx of birds last season. Last year, volunteers were overwhelmed with around 600 pairs of least terns alone – making up almost 20 percent of the state's population.Nearly three dozen volunteers help patrol the site, often inviting passer-bys to come and look at the birds and their chicks through a scope. Addison said the people on the beach many times do not know what the birds need from them in order to be successful. Showing the birds and their chicks to onlookers induces a reaction from the observers every time."It brings the story of the birds directly to the people," Addison said.In addition to educating the public, Audobon and its volunteers also make measures to limit disturbance to the colony – whether it be human or predatory.Starting in April and lasting until the end of August, posts and rope are put up to discourage beachgoers from inadvertently stomping through the nesting grounds.Homemade signs from Wrightsville Beach Elementary School fifth-grade students dot the "symbolic fencing," as Eader called it. While the fencing is "not going to keep out a cow," it does do a sufficient job keeping humans at their distance, she added.The New Hanover County beach town's south end was not used as a nesting habitat until 2009, when a small colony of birds started moving from an established habitat at the island's north end. This year, there is only a small colony of least terns at the north end.Eader said the north end, which was created as part of the Mason Inlet relocation project, is less successful due to high predatory activity and the increased growth of vegetation. The predators at the north end, mostly raccoons and foxes, are not an issue on the south end.The vegetation on the south end is also more ideal. The shorebirds prefer to nest in open spaces so they can spot predators from a distance, Addison said.Earlier in the season, the south end habitat did run into problems with crows, which are a natural predator. To curb the crow activity, Audobon enlisted the help of Wrightsville Beach.The town agreed to remove trash cans from the area around the habitat. The trash cans attracted crows to the area, putting the birds in the habitat at risk."I think the environment in general is very important to the town," said Town Manager Time Owens. "Obviously a safe environment is something we all try to keep."